Send 'em a bill for the bullet
The wives of men facing criminal charges will have their wages docked by the Government to pay for their defence. And they could even be forced to remortgage the family home to settle the bill for legal fees. Critics say women will be forced to divorce their husbands to avoid the new ‘legal tax’, which is being proposed by Justice Secretary Jack Straw to save £50million a year in legal aid payouts. Under the scheme, revealed last week, families with annual incomes between £20,000 and £40,000 are likely to have to contribute to defence costs. Those earning more than £40,000 will probably have to pay the full cost. A new means -*test*-('") will analyse the disposable incomes of defendants and their families. Those deemed to have more than £3,398 of ‘spare cash’ will have to pay towards their legal bill. The money will be taken directly from the pay packets of defendants and their families in the run-up to a trial. But critics say the proposals will see families on ‘short rations’ for up to two years as cases move slowly through the legal system. They say that some people will be forced to mount their own defence, leading to possible miscarriages of justice. One senior legal figure involved in discussions with the Government over the scheme said: ‘Innocent husbands, wives and children of defendants will be financially penalised. They will be forced either to stand by their accused loved one and suffer financially or abandon them before they have been convicted of any offence.’ The Ministry of Justice claims the average cost of a criminal defence is £2,500. It says 85 per cent of cases cost less than £5,000, but more complicated cases can cost many times that sum. Only defendants who are completely acquitted will get their money back. People charged with serious offences who see their cases downgraded will still have to pay towards the cost. snip http://tinyurl.com/5fpzlv
The wives of men facing criminal charges will have their wages docked by the Government to pay for their defence. And they could even be forced to remortgage the family home to settle the bill for legal fees. Critics say women will be forced to divorce their husbands to avoid the new ‘legal tax’, which is being proposed by Justice Secretary Jack Straw to save £50million a year in legal aid payouts. Under the scheme, revealed last week, families with annual incomes between £20,000 and £40,000 are likely to have to contribute to defence costs. Those earning more than £40,000 will probably have to pay the full cost. A new means -*test*-('") will analyse the disposable incomes of defendants and their families. Those deemed to have more than £3,398 of ‘spare cash’ will have to pay towards their legal bill. The money will be taken directly from the pay packets of defendants and their families in the run-up to a trial. But critics say the proposals will see families on ‘short rations’ for up to two years as cases move slowly through the legal system. They say that some people will be forced to mount their own defence, leading to possible miscarriages of justice. One senior legal figure involved in discussions with the Government over the scheme said: ‘Innocent husbands, wives and children of defendants will be financially penalised. They will be forced either to stand by their accused loved one and suffer financially or abandon them before they have been convicted of any offence.’ The Ministry of Justice claims the average cost of a criminal defence is £2,500. It says 85 per cent of cases cost less than £5,000, but more complicated cases can cost many times that sum. Only defendants who are completely acquitted will get their money back. People charged with serious offences who see their cases downgraded will still have to pay towards the cost. snip http://tinyurl.com/5fpzlv